iCrash
by norinina
Summary: In which Freddie and Sam have a dangerous adventure in the wilderness between Seattle and Canada. Seddie.


iCrash  
_rating_: T (for violence and language)  
_pairings_: Seddie, of course. And some Carly/OC.  
_summary_:  
_author's notes_: So it's about two days of driving from Seattle, Washington to Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Sam and Freddie are poor college students who can't afford plane tickets, which why they're driving. It's plausible! Okay, so I wrote this before I realized how long the drive between Seattle and Montreal, QC was. You just have to suspend your disbelief, kiddos! (: so review if you liked it, please? Or if you hated it. I'm open to (constructive, please) criticism.  
_disclaimer_: I don't own iCarly, or any of the characters. Dan Schneider does, and I'm glad he does. The man is a genius. (why yes, I am a total fan girl.)

---

It's late in the day when Sam and Freddie leave. They had planned to leave earlier, but they couldn't resist spending a few extra hours with their best friend. By the time they're packing the car, it's already 8 pm. They'll drive for the rest of the night, and probably some of the day, before stopping at a hotel. Then after spending the night, they'll finish the drive to Seattle.

"Drive carefully, you guys!" Carly says as she hands Sam's bag to Freddie.

"With Freddie at the will, no doubt." Sam snorts. "That's a good thing, Sam!" Carly laughs, but then she looks sad. "I miss you guys so much," She says, pulling Sam into a tight hug.

"I miss you, too, Carls." Sam says quietly. She wipes discreetly at her eyes with the sleeve of her jacket, trying to hide her tears. "Come and visit soon, 'kay?" Then she hops into the passenger seat of Freddie's car, slamming the door.

Freddie winces, and shakes his head. "She's going to destroy my car someday." Carly smiles, and pulls him into one final hug, too. "Take care of her, Freddie." Freddie smiles weakly at her, and tosses Sam's bag in the back seat. "You should come and visit soon, Carly. It's not the same without you." He wants to say, _Sam can take care of herself_, and a part of him knows what Carly really means, and wants to say, _I'm trying, but she makes it hard_.

As they pull out and drive away, Carly waves goodbye until the car disappears around the bend.

---

Inside the car, Freddie and Sam make small talk for a while about their visit, but their hearts aren't in it, and soon enough, Sam is slumped asleep against the window, and Freddie is lost in his thoughts.

Seeing Carly again has made him all nostalgic, and he can't help but think about the past.

Things have changed a lot for them since they'd graduated high school. Carly had managed to get into the National Theatre School of Canada, and was studying acting. Doing iCarly has given her a love of acting, and she'd ended up with the starring role in several school and local play during their junior and senior years of high school.

Sam's going to Seattle Central Community College. She wants to be a chef - Freddie laughed when he first found out, but he's realized it's the perfect career for her.

And he's at Seattle University - his mom had offered to pay for his college on the condition he went somewhere local, and he agreed, but managed to get her to agree to let him move out to an off campus apartment. His mom is gradually learning to let go. He's going for his Bachelor of Science in computer science right now, and plans to go for his Master when he's done getting his BS.

They ended iCarly the day before Carly left for college, but they plan on doing specials whenever they're all together and have time. In fact, they filmed their first iCarly special this weekend while visiting Carly.

There have been other big changes, too - somewhere along the way, he had fallen out of love with Carly. He had always been so sure Carly was the perfect girl for him, but gradually his feelings had started to change, and now he's completely head over heels for another girl, a completely different, so perfectly imperfect girl.

The drive back to Seattle is a long one, and Freddie finds himself getting sleepy. Shaking his head to snap himself out of it, he glances out the window in time to see a motel. It's rather seedy looking, though, and there's a much nicer hotel just a few hours away. He also has a suspicion Sam would kill him if he dared stop at such a shitty looking place.

He glances over at Sam, and she's still sleeping. She looks so peaceful. Her long blonde curls fall messily around her shoulders, and with those fearsome blue eyes closed in slumber, she looks almost angelic.

He chuckles at his thoughts, and turns his attention back to the road. They're driving along a particularly twisted and deserted stretch of road now, and surrounded on both sides by deep forest. The trees overhead almost completely obscure the night sky, and when a wolf howls somewhere in the distance, he can feel a chill running up his spine. It's a creepy atmosphere, and he wishes Sam would wake up and start distracting him.

Headlights from behind suddenly brighten up the car, almost blinding him. Some asshole has his brights on, he thinks grumpily, and speeds up to get away from the other vehicle. Glancing in his rear-view mirror, he can see the other car is a huge red truck, one that greatly out-sizes and probably out-powers his old '95 Corolla.

The truck speeds up, too, though, and Freddie feels threads of uneasiness as the driver blares on their horn, just before they crash into the back bumper of Freddie's car.

Freddie presses down on the gas. His ancient car is definitely no match for the truck, as his car is rocked by another hit.

He chances a glance at Sam, who is magically still asleep, and blasts on his own horn, before swinging into the other lane in an attempt to get away.

The other vehicle is speeding up again, and comes up besides Freddie. He looks over in an attempt to see the maniac behind the wheel, but all he sees is a dark figure, and then the truck smashes into the side of Freddie's car, sending him spinning off the road.

Freddie has lost total control of his car by now, and wrenches helplessly at the steering wheel, right before he plows into a tree.

---

When he comes around, his head is resting on the steering wheel and the deflated driver's side airbag is under him. Someone is shaking him, and as he glances to his side, feeling nauseous, and Sam is staring at him, concern etched into her face. "Freddie?" She sounds so relieved when she sees he's awake, and he offers her a tentative smile. "Hey, Sam. Are you okay?" He asks, as he slowly sits up. He doesn't feel too much pain, besides the sick feeling in his stomach. "I'm fine," She brushes off his concern, and stares with wide, worried eyes at him. He hasn't seen Sam look so serious in a long time. "So I wake up, and I find us smashed into a tree, and you knocked out. What the hell happened?"

"Some asshole ran us off the road," Freddie shakes his head angrily, and pulls the handle on his door to open it. It swings open, and then falls off it's hinges. He lets off a few choice curses. "Where did my little Fredward learn such language?" Sam asks, pretending to be shocked. Freddie scowls at her, before unsnapping his seat-belt and getting out of the car to survey the damage.

It's not good. The front of his car is wrapped around the tree, and he has a feeling the back looks just as bad. His poor car is destined for the junk yard, it seems.

He hears a rustling noise, and Sam is standing besides him. "There's no reception out here," She informs him, brandishing her cell phone at him. She has no bars, and since they're on the same network, that means his phone won't be working either.

"What do we do now, Freddie?" Sam asks quietly, blue eyes boring into him, and he gives the car an angry kick before answering.

"We passed a motel a while back. They'll have a phone we can use, we can walk there."

"You mean _you_ can walk there." Sam corrects him, getting back in the car. "I'm not walking that far in the dark."

"Aw, is little Sammie scared?" Freddie teases, and she kicks him in the shin. "That hurt! Come on, Sam. It's not that far, anyway. Don't make me go alone," he pleads, and she sighs.

"Fine. If I don't go with you, you'll probably end up getting eaten by a bear anyway." She grumbles, and stretches out her hand. He stares at it. "Well, help me up, dork!" He hastily grabs her hand and pulls her to her feet, before reaching into the back and grabbing their bags. He doesn't bother to ask Sam to carry her own, instead slinging them both over his shoulder.

"Well, let's get out of here." Sam says, and they make their way back to the main road, and set along at a decent pace in the direction of the motel.

---

The first few minutes passes by mostly in comfortable silence. They're both tired, and Freddie is still upset over the car crash.

When they come across a crushed can of beer lying in the street, Freddie immediately blames it on whoever ran him off the road. "Damn drunken asshole!" He rants, and Sam only stares at him, surprise in her gaze. She's only seen the mild-mannered Freddie get this angry a few times, like the time when she told the world he'd never been kissed, and the time she accidentally broke his laptop.

Silence falls between them once again, but Sam decides to breaks it. "So... what did you think of Mike?" She asks, a mischievous gleam in her eyes. Mike is Carly's college boyfriend, who they met over the weekend. She's actually worried about Freddie right now, and figures teasing him will be the ticket to get his mind off the crash.

Freddie just shrugs. "He seemed like a cool guy."

"Oh, you know you're burning up with jealousy, Benson." She pokes him in the side. Freddie sighs. "I'm happy for her and Mike. I haven't been in love with Carly for a long time now, Sam. Since our sophomore year in high school, at least. I like someone else..." His voice trails off, and blushing, he shoves his hands into his pockets. "Did you have fun doing the iCarly special?"

Sam raises an eyebrow, but allows him to get away with the subject change. "Of course. We got to do our thing, and our fans loved it. It's too bad we had to stop doing iCarly." Her voice is wistful.

"I miss it, too." Freddie agrees. "I never thought we'd have to end it back when we first started."

"Things are always changing. I mean, Carly is all the in Canada now, and I'm actually doing good in school." Sam laughs, and Freddie grins. "You've always been smart, Sam. Maybe you just needed something to really motivate you."

Instead of replying, Sam shushes him, grabbing his collar and pulling him into the brush just as headlights shine from around the corner. A car is coming towards them, and from sound of the roaring engine, it's going fast. "Why are we hiding, Sam? Shouldn't we try to flag them down?" Freddie whispers, desperately trying to pull away from Sam, and Sam shakes her head. "Just trust me, Freddie!" She whispers urgently, "I have a bad feeling, okay?"

It speeds around the bend, and passes by them, coming to a screeching halt down the road from them. The truck is undeniably familiar, but Freddie is hoping it's not the same one that ran him off the road earlier.

Sam grabs Freddie's hand, and pulls him deeper into the forest behind them, trying to keep hidden but also keep an eye on whoever the hell is in the car. Freddie tries to ignore the butterflies in his stomach because _he's holding Sam's hand_, and trying to remind himself it doesn't mean anything to her, and that they are in a potentially serious situation.

They're moving further into the forest while moving closer, and soon enough, they're close to the scene of the accident again.

The truck is pulled over a few feet away from them, and across the road, there are two dark shapes.

"We hit 'em over here, didn't we?" The male voice carries faintly through the night, and Freddie frowns. "Yeah, I think so." A different voice this time, also male, and then a low chuckle. "We got 'em pretty good. Look at the shape this car's in."

Freddie feels a sour taste in the back of his throat, and for a moment, he's torn between staying with Sam, and going off to confront the assholes who forced them off the road. Besides him, Sam makes a low growling noise, and he realizes he's not the only one who's pissed. But he doubts that Sam, even with Freddie at her side, could take these guys, and he tightens his grip on her hand.

Sam is looking at him again. Even though he's focused on the jerks across the street, he can feel Sam's gaze burning into him. When he turns to look at her, she has that expression on her face, that one that says _I'm up to something, and you're not going to like it, but you're going to help me anyway,_ and he gives her his best impression of a puppy dog. She rolls her eyes, and jerks his hand as they creep further through the forest.

He has no idea what's she planning, only that it will probably end badly for him, but there's no stopping Sam when she's got an scheme brewing in her head.

Soon, they're by the truck, and Sam grins as she takes another peek across the street. The assholes are still looking at the wreckage of Freddie's car, talking and laughing with each other. Once she's sure they're distracted, Sam pulls open the driver side door of the car, and pushes Freddie forward, gesturing for him to get inside.

He now realizes what she's up to, and shakes his head wildly, too afraid to verbalize his protests and have the two guys across the street notice. So she ignores his silent protests, and once he's inside, pushes him to the side. The jerks took their keys with them, but that's not going to stop Sam Puckett.

Within a minute, she's hot-wired the car, and the engine roars to life. "Let's see what this baby can do," she cackles, grinning like a maniac, and pushes it into drive as the assholes run across the street, waving their arms like maniacs.

"Get the fuck out of my car!" One of them shouts as Sam shoots past them, and Freddie holds back a scream. As they drive, Sam sticks her hand out the window and gives them a good look at her middle finger. Freddie shrinks back into his seat.

---

About half an hour later, they're passing the same seedy motel they drove past earlier, and Sam overshoots by about five minutes, before they come to a dirt road. She turns down it, and stops the car in the middle of it, before turning it off.

"Give me my bag," She orders, and Freddie complies, giving her a questioning look. She pulls out a t-shirt, and wipes down the surfaces she's touched, before using it to open the door. "I've got a record," she tells Freddie in reply to his look, and he hops out out of the car after her. She wipes the outside door handle before shoving the shirt back in her bag, and then hikes the bag over her shoulder.

"Why are we leaving the car here?" Freddie asks, and she starts walking before answering. "We don't want them seeing their car in the parking lot. Then they'll know where we are." He stares at her for a moment, and shakes his head. "You're devious, Sam Puckett."

She grins sweetly at him, and a minute later, they're in the parking lot of the motel. The sign flickers noisily, informing them they've arrived at the 'SUNSH NE MOT L', and Freddie is relieved to note a large 'VACANCY' sign in the dirty front window. Sam doesn't look very impressed, and glares at Freddie. "I can't believe you actually wanted to go here, Fredwad."

"Well, if you drove in the other direction, we could have actually gone to the place we had planned to stop at," Freddie defends himself grumpily, but Sam just shrugs.

A fuse in the sign's L suddenly blows out with a loud noise, and Sam jumps. When Freddie accidentally lets out a laugh, she sends him a dangerous look before pushing open the door to the lobby.

Freddie can't tell if the walls are supposed to that color, or just really dirty, and when he notices the broken armchair in the corner of the room, he guesses at the latter. The desk clerk is sleeping behind the front desk, and Sam marches over and slams her fist down on the bell sitting on the desk. It doesn't make a sound, and she gives it an incredulous stare before tossing it hard at the wall behind the sleeping clerk. It hits the wall with a smash, and makes a pathetic 'ding' sound before sliding to the floor.

The clerk is awake now, and looks a little scared. "Can I help you?" He squeaks out, and Freddie feels sorry for him. The guy can't be any older then 16, and Sam is ten times more terrifying now then she was as a teenager.

"We need a room. Now. And it better be cheap," Sam says threateningly, and the kid opens a drawer and pulls out a key. "Our cheapest room is 29.99 a night, including tax, and there's a free breakfast in the morning. Check-out is anytime before noon." He runs through his spiel quickly, and places the key on the counter, sliding it over in Sam's direction. Freddie pushes Sam aside, and gives the clerk what he hopes is a comforting smile. "That sounds good, we'll take it," He announces, and reaches in his pocket for his wallet. It's not there, and he gives Sam a look.

She sticks out her tongue, and pulls his wallet out of her pocket. Pulling out three tens with a flourish, she tosses them on the counter and snaps up the key. "Keep the change," she says grandly, and makes for the door.

---

The rooms are lined up in a row, shotgun style. They're in room 38, near the end of the row, and when Sam pushes open the door and flicks on the ceiling light, Freddie is surprised and relieved to note the room is much cleaner then the lobby.

The walls are rather haphazardly painted a drab white, but they look clean. There's a single standing light in the corner, besides a small desk of cheap wood. The bed is a queen, and the bedspread is a rather nauseating purple paisley, and the only window is covered by a thick curtain that matches the bedspread. The room smells faintly of cigarettes and something else, and a staleness hangs in the air.

There's a small bathroom off the room, and it's also decently clean, with floors of peeling black and white linoleum. The shower doesn't look too bad, but Freddie figures he can wait until he gets home for a shower, and by the look on Sam's face, she's thinking the same thing.

Sam flops onto the bed, and sneers up at Freddie. "If you're thinking we're sharing, think again." She tells him, and he frowns at her. "I paid for the room, Sam! I'm not going to sleep on the floor."

She looks like she's thinking of putting up a fight for a moment, but then she sighs. "Whatever, Fredderly. I'm too tired to argue with you right now."

"That's a first," Freddie says, opening his bag to pull out his pajamas. Sam ignores him, and carries her bag into the bathroom to change for the night.

Later on, when they're both lying on top of the ugly bedspread, Freddie realizes he's too nervous to fall asleep. He rolls over on his side, and pokes Sam.  
"What do you want?" Her voices comes out of the darkness, sounding weary. "I can't sleep," he confesses. With the lights off and the heavy curtain obscuring the outside from view, he can't see anything, but he has a feeling Sam is rolling her eyes.

When she speaks again, though, her voice is soft. "Don't worry, Freddie. I'll protect you from the monsters," and he can hear the smile in her voice. "Now go to sleep, dork." She yawns, and he closes his eyes.

---

He wakes up a few hours later, and Sam is curled up against him, her hair tickling his nose. He breathes deeply, taking in her scent, and then scolds himself for being such a sap. The clock on the bedside table tells him it's 5 in the morning. He closes his eyes again, trying to fall back asleep again. This is the first time he's ever had Sam in his arms like this, and he's afraid it will be the last time, and he doesn't want the moment to end.  
But then he hears a banging noise, and he realizes it's probably what woke him up in the first place. Then there's shouting, and he starts to feels panicky. He shakes Sam lightly, and she turns and gazes up at him with soft, sleepy eyes. "What do you want, Freddie?" She yawns on the second syllable of his name, and he finds it unspeakably adorable.

He pushes aside that thought, and concentrates on the present. "Do you hear that?" He whispers urgently, and she sits up, instantly aware. The shouting comes again, and it's a familiar voice.

"_Fuck_. They found us!" She jumps out of the bed, and grabs her jacket and bag, sliding her feet into her slip-on vans. "Come on, Freddie." He also gets out of bed, and pulls on his sneakers. He probably looks ridiculous, but they don't have time to change. He slides on his jacket, and also grabs his bag.

Sam walks quietly over to the window, and peeks through as sneakily as she can. There's another banging noise. "I think they're banging on all the doors, trying to find us." She whispers, and Freddie almost wants to laugh, because that's such a stupid strategy, but he's really too scared to find it that funny. "Shit." Sam curses again, and walks into the bathroom. Freddie follows her.

There's a small window in the bathroom, and Sam points to it. "That's our way out, Freddie. Come on." She slides it open, and shimmies through. She's slender enough to not have any trouble, but it takes more work for Freddie to squeeze through.

The sun is just starting to rise, and Freddie would find it beautiful if he weren't so anxious.

They're behind the motel now, and Freddie is not sure what to do next. "Follow me, Freddie." She instructs, and they walk in the direction of the woods, but Sam stops short and turns around after a second. "Where are you going?" Freddie whispers, completely confused.

She shushes him, and they walk a short distance, and then they're behind the main building of the motel. Sam slips in through the back door, and Freddie follows, resigned to just following orders and not asking questions.

They're in what appears to be the back office for the main lobby. Sam pushes through the next door into the main room, and Freddie is a little surprised and definitely scared by the almost feral look of anger on her face when she sees the night clerk crouching in the corner, with blood running down his face. He's got a black eye, a swollen lip, and an ugly cut on his cheek, and Sam marches over and grabs the kid's arm. "Come on," she says roughly, and of course he complies. The three of them leave through the back entrance, moving quickly.

Sam leads them through the woods, and Freddie pulls out the first-aid kit he always carries, thanking his mother for her constant paranoia. "What's your name?" He asks the kid.

"Steven," the kid manages to say, and Freddie soaks a cotton ball in rubbing alcohol and swabs the cut on Steven's cheek with it, before covering it with a large bandage. Steven mumbles a thank you to Freddie, and stares at Sam with wide eyes as she marches on single-mindedly.

"Don't worry," Freddie hastens to assure Steven, "Sam's not that scary."

"I'm not scared of her!" Steven protests, and he can tell from the adoring look on Steven's face that he's telling the truth.

---

They've been trudging through the woods for a while now, probably an hour. The sun has come up fully by now, but it's still rather cool out. Freddie has given his jacket to Steven, and the smile Sam gives him makes bearing the cold worthwhile.

They're close to a road now, because Freddie can hear the roar of the occasional car shoot by. It must be a major road, or at least he's hoping it is. They really need to get Steven to a doctor, and to alert the authorities to the crazy assholes chasing them.

Soon, they come to the edge of the forest, and they stop to survey their surroundings. God must be smiling on them, because there is a gas station just up the road from them. Sam gives a whoop of joy, and sets off at a run, with Freddie and Steven following close behind.

When they reach the gas station, they are happy, but Sam especially, to see a small restaurant attached to it. "I'm so hungry, I could eat a horse. And you're buying, Fredward." She says, pushing open the door. "Sure, Sam, just give me back my wallet," Freddie answers dryly, as the three of them settle into a corner booth.

"Shouldn't we call somebody before we eat?" Steven asks anxiously. "We can do that later. Mama needs her meat," Sam says dismissively, and flags down a waitress.

"What do you kids want?" The waitress asks apathetically, brandishing a notepad and pencil stub. Sam wants three orders of pancakes and bacon, and two orders of potatoes with ham. Steven looks surprised at the amount of food she orders, and timidly asks for a small plate of scrambled eggs. Freddie just wants for some strong coffee and toast, and as soon as the waitress disappears to put their orders in, he puts his arms on the table, cradling his head in the crook of his elbow. "I'm so tired," he groans.

"Not me. All the excitement this morning really woke me up," Sam says, rumpling Freddie's hair. "About that... thanks for saving me, Sam." Steven says shyly, and Sam shrugs. "You'd do the same for me. I couldn't let those thugs hurt you anymore because of us, after all." Freddie grins against his arm, glad Sam can't see. She really doesn't realize how good of a person she is sometimes.

Their food arrives quickly, and Sam tucks in. Despite the rate at which she's shoving food into her mouth, she manages not to spill any, and Steven watches her in awe. Used to the display that is Sam eating, Freddie downs his coffee, and munches contentedly on toast. "You going to eat that?" Sam gestures towards the scrambled eggs sitting untouched in front of Steven, and Steven shakes his head. "No, um, you can have them." He pushes the plate towards Sam, and she finishes them quickly.

Sam is rubbing her belly happily as they walk up to register to pay, as she argues with Freddie about who to call. "The cops aren't going to care, since we're safe now. We should call a tow truck, or a taxi," She says to Freddie, pulling out his wallet and giving a twenty and a five to the girl at the register. "No, Sam. We have to call the authorities, and tell them about these maniacs." Freddie says resolutely, giving Sam his 'stern' look.

Steven stops the argument, though, when he tugs nervously at Sam's sleeve and gestures toward the window. A blue pick-up truck is pulling into the parking lot of the gas station. "That's their truck! I think they found us." His eyes are wide with fear, and Sam curses roundly. Freddie turns to the register girl, who is staring at them in confusion. "You, go with Steven to the kitchen. Hide, and call the police. These guys are dangerous." He says, and Sam doesn't bother to contradict his orders, instead she just shoves Steven in the direction of the kitchen.

To his surprise, register girl, whose name tag reads 'Mary Ann' in sparkly letters, actually listens, and rushes towards the kitchen, Steven in tow. Sam is still staring out the window, watching as two men get out of the truck. It's definitely the assholes.

"What do we do, Sam?" Freddie asks quietly, and she whirls to face him. "I don't know, Freddie! I don't know. They keep coming after us, and I don't know." For the first time, she sounds panicked, and he just stares at her for a moment. "Okay, calm down, Sam. It'll be okay." He touches her shoulder gently, trying to soothe her. "What if it's not? Those guys are crazy!" She flings her arms into the air. "They're going to kill us!"

"Ain't nobody going to kill nobody," A rough voice says from behind them, and a man storms out of the kitchen, Steven behind him, a shotgun in one hand and a rifle in the other. He's large, and dressed all in black and a white chef's hat that seems out of place on him. "Sniffles here," he points at Steven with the rifle hand, and Steven ducks instinctively, "tells me you're being followed by some bad guys. I don't settle for that in my restaurant. So Mary is going to call the cops, while we talk to these guys. My name's Paul, by the way." He nods at Sam, and tosses the shotgun at Freddie, who fumbles with it and almost drops it. Sam rolls her eyes in exasperation, and pulls the gun from his grasp. "Let me handle that," she says, giving him a snide look.

He blushes, and follows Sam and Paul as they storm out of the restaurant. They stride into the gas station, guns held aloft. The two men are inside, talking to the cashier. The larger of them is dressed in a tight red shirt, and has greasy black hair pulled into a ponytail. The other is shorter, and fatter, with balding brown hair. He had a leather jacket on, and is waving his fist in the cashier's face.

"Looking for us, assholes?" Sam's voice rings out, and they turn in surprise. She's smirking, and once again the tough, unbeatable Sam Puckett Freddie knows (and loves). The poor cashier looks even more terrified at the entrance of the gun-toting Sam and Paul, and she makes a move for the telephone. "I'm calling the cops!" She announces, eying the occupants of her store warily.

"No need, little lady!" Paul's voice booms. "They've already been called," He says, and waves the gun threateningly at the two men, "and you two bastards are going to prison. I hear you've been harassing my little friends here!" He waves the gun around to point at Sam and Freddie. Freddie waves meekly, and Ponytail growls. "I didn't do shit! These fuckers stole my car! They need to be taught a lesson!" Baldy chimes in, with a loud "Yeah!"

"You liar!" Freddie counters. All his anger has been building up, and he decides to just let go. Sam gives him a thumbs up. "You jerks ran us off the road! You tried to kill us, and then you followed us to the motel, and mauled the poor night clerk, and then you followed us here!" He narrows his eyes. "And you know what? You guys are going to pay for what you did. The police are going to find traces of your paint on my car, but you know what they're not going to find? Our prints in your car. You two are going to rot in prison!"

He finished his speech, and takes a deep breathe of air. Sam claps him on the back. "Good job, Freddie." She says approvingly, and Freddie grins at her. Ponytail opens his mouth to respond, but whatever he plans on saying is cut off by the sound of sirens, and then the cops squeal into the parking lot.

By the time Sam and Freddie are finished giving their statements, and the two men are finally arrested and hauled off to jail for holding, it's 1 in the afternoon. They're in the restaurant, waiting for Spencer to come and give them a ride. Steven has been picked up and taken home by his parents, and Paul has gone back into the kitchen. The place is about half filled with people, but Sam and Freddie have their corner booth to themselves.

Sam has just finished eating a ham sandwich, and her head is resting on Freddie's shoulder. He hesitantly wraps his arm around her shoulders, and she turns her head slightly to look at him. "Finally making a move, Freddie?" She asks teasingly, and he blushes. "Sam..." She sits up, and kisses him fiercely. By the time she pulls away for air, Freddie is bright red and she smiles contentedly.

"I had fun today, Freddie. But you better take me somewhere nice for our second date," she says threateningly, and he laughs. She swings her legs over his lap, leaning into him. "I've liked you for a long time, Sam." He says quietly. "But I was afraid-" She kisses him again. "Me, too. Until yesterday, actually, I still thought you were in love with Carly. That you'd never look at me the way you looked at her."

She looks vulnerable for a moment, and he wraps his arms around her tightly. "You're the only one I've been looking at." He says, and she shakes a finger at him. "Don't get sappy with me, Benson." He kisses her this time, and it lasts a few long moments.

When Spencer finally walks into the restaurant, he finds them curled up asleep, in the corner booth, cuddled up next to each other.

---

_Fin_.


End file.
